Nick Jonas Testifies Before Senate About Diabetes

Nick Jonas draws a crowd wherever he goes – even to a U.S. Senate hearing on diabetes.

The Jonas Brothers hunk, 16, spent time on Capitol Hill Wednesday testifying at a hearing on government funding for diabetes research.

When the teen heartthrob walked into the room, dozens of cameras were waiting and teenage girls filled the seats, even lining the back wall, to get a glimpse of Jonas. One woman fainted during his speech.

Jonas, who works with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, urged the committee to continue funding diabetes research in hopes of finding a cure. "My life depends on it. All our lives depend on it," he said.

Jonas was diagnosed with diabetes at age 13. He said his brothers were the first to notice the change in him. His symptoms included being thirsty all the time, dropping 15 lbs. in two weeks and having a "bad attitude, which is unlike me," said Jonas as laughter erupted.

Jonas also read some lyrics of a song, "A Little Bit Longer," that he wrote about dealing with the disease. "With the help of Congress, I'll only have to wait a little bit longer for a cure," he testified.

Proud Father

His father was thrilled with his son's testimony. "I think it was amazing and I really hope it leads to a cure," Kevin Jonas, Sr. told PEOPLE. "I'm incredibly proud and moved by my son."

Jonas echoed his father's sentiments about the day, telling PEOPLE: "It was great. It was really cool. The whole thing was a pleasure to be a part of and a great thing for me to share my story and hopefully have some influence on some very influential people."

After his testimony in D.C., Jonas got back to some other important business: rejoining his brothers on tour in Denver.

As for what's next: "The album is out – it's number one," said Jonas. "Right now it's more about the tour and focusing on that. Then in September we go back to shoot Camp Rock 2 in Toronto, which should be fun. It's good to be [in] the cast again. And then, from there, I'm not sure. Just continuing to tour and having fun, playing music for the fans."